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Dodgers’ Early Season Statistics: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

By Jack Trent Dorfman

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 05: Corey Seager #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers steals second base before Marwin Gonzalez #9 of the Houston Astros can make the tag in the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium on August 5, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 05: Corey Seager #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers steals second base before Marwin Gonzalez #9 of the Houston Astros can make the tag in the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium on August 5, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 01: Austin Barnes #15 looks on as manager Dave Roberts #30 pulls Joe Kelly #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the seventh inning of the game against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on April 1, 2019, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

But it hasn’t been all good. In the next two slides, I’ll distinguish between the “bad” and the “ugly” with bad meaning correctable and ugly meaning more problematic.

The bad problem resides in the bullpen. The team’s bullpen K/9 is the sixth lowest in the MLB at below 8 strikeouts per inning, a rate similar to the Rockies, Giants, and Diamondbacks, all of whom are known for having lackluster bullpen arms.

Maybe this means the Dodgers bullpen is lackluster. Obviously, it’s early in the season, and these statistics should not be taken to be a projection. But they demonstrate that the Dodgers are capable, as currently constructed, of having a 50+ inning stretch of poor performance out of the bullpen.

Some of this may have to do with heavy use, even though it is early in the season. Dave Roberts and the Dodgers have used their bullpen like a crutch for their starting rotation to begin the season, most likely due to the high quantity of injuries plaguing the rotation.

But this is relatively correctible. If history shows us anything, then it shows us that the Dodgers will trade for veteran relief help at the deadline. Plus, the Dodger’s new relievers like Joe Kelly and Dennis Santana among others, should begin to improve as they grow more comfortable in Los Angeles.

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